Form 0920-23FN Focus Group Moderator Guide

Community Focus Group Guide

QUESTIONNAIRE FOR COMMUNITY FOCUS GROUP¹ Form Approved

OMB No. 0920-xxxx

Expiration Date: XX/XX/XXXX

1. Introduction

2. Questions

   1. Policy Awareness/Knowledge

   2. Menthol-Flavored Tobacco Product Use

   3. Purchasing Behaviors/Access

   4. Quit Attempts/Switching

   5. Perceptions/Beliefs

Section I: Introductions

Thank you for taking the time to speak with us today. Before we begin, I would like to briefly introduce myself. My name is [NAME] and I work for Deloitte Consulting. I am going to be facilitating this focus group today on behalf of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Office on Smoking and Health. I would also like to introduce you to my colleague [NAME], who will take notes and may also ask some questions.

The focus group will take up to 60 minutes to complete and you will receive a $45-dollar gift card upon completion of the discussion.

This focus group is taking place over Zoom, which means, in addition to being video and audio recorded, you will be able to see other participants in the meeting. The recording is for transcription purposes only and will be destroyed once the transcription is completed. The transcription will be a written script of what was discussed on our call today. There will be no way to identify you from the responses nor will your name be used in any documents. During today’s discussion, please use only your first name when introducing yourself to maintain confidentiality.

We are here today to learn more about your experiences with and awareness of the menthol tobacco product sales restriction policies in each of your cities. We are speaking with you specifically because you identified yourself as someone who has used or currently uses menthol tobacco products. [For LGBTQ+ focus group]: You were also selected for this particular focus group because you identify as a member of the LGBTQ+ community. [For racial and ethnic groups focus group]: You were also selected for this particular focus group because you identify as a member of a racial or ethnic minority group.

Whether you currently use menthol tobacco products, have recently quit, or are thinking about quitting, we hope to learn more about your experience as well as how tobacco policies have affected your daily life. The information you share today will help inform CDC’s work related to menthol tobacco products.

As we begin this focus group, we would like to share a few guiding principles to allow for this conversation to be open and honest:

• I will serve as the moderator today and I will guide our discussion.

• If you are having any technical issues, please send a chat message to [Name] for assistance.

• We encourage you to be on video throughout the duration of the focus group call.

• Please keep in mind, there are no right or wrong answers, only differing points of view. You may not agree with others, but to allow for an open discussion, please listen respectfully as others share their views.

• On that note, we will limit the discussion to one person speaking at a time. We ask that you keep yourself on mute unless you are speaking. If another person is speaking, and you would like to speak after, please use the “raise hand” button, and I will call on you to speak.

• If you are not using your phone to join the Zoom audio, we ask that your turn off your phones. If you cannot turn off your phone, and if you need to respond to a call, please do so as quietly as possible and rejoin us as quickly as you can.

• We encourage you to interact with each other and we would like for everyone to participate in the discussion.

• Your participation in this focus group is voluntary. You do not have to answer a question if you feel uncomfortable doing so. You may opt-out of the discussion at any time, but we encourage you to stay the full hour.

Before we begin, I am going to show everyone where to find the raise hand feature, how to update your name and pronouns on Zoom, how to access the chat box, and how to unmute yourself when it is your time to speak.

With your permission, we would like to record this discussion for transcription purposes. [Facilitator asks everyone individually] Do we have your permission to record?

[After sharing screen]: Are there any questions before we get started?

[If no questions / when questions are answered]: I am going to begin the recording and we can get started.

Section IV: Questions

	Time	Question	Indicator
	3 min.	So that we can all get to know each other a bit, can you each introduce yourself with your first name, pronouns and, perhaps, share a favorite hobby of yours or a favorite TV series?
1	5 min.	As mentioned at the start of this discussion, we are speaking with you today to understand how [insert reference to policy in city] has affected you. To start, I want to ask you all a few questions to understand your familiarity with this policy. [Whenever the presenter asks a question about the policy, the presenter will display a slide for participants that includes each city and corresponding policy name, year passed, and policy stipulations.] We ask that you wait to answer the question until we ask about the policy in your city. Are you aware of [insert policy name, year passed, stipulations] and, if so, when, and how did you first hear about it?	Awareness of policy
2	10 min.	In your own words, what do you think is the purpose of the policy enacted in your city? [Probing question] Based on your understanding of its purpose, do you think the policy has been effective? Why or why not? [Probing question] Do you agree with the policy? Why or why not?	Perceived purpose of the policy Perceived effectiveness of the policy Agreement with the policy
3	~1 min.	Now, we’re going to ask you two polling questions related to your current and past use of menthol tobacco products. By menthol tobacco products, we mean products that are flavored to taste like menthol or mint. Our first poll is only for those who previously used, but no longer use, menthol tobacco products. The second poll is for those who currently use menthol tobacco products. Poll: If you no longer use menthol tobacco products, what type(s) of menthol products did you previously use? Select all that apply. Cigarettes; cigars/cigarillos; e-cigarettes or vapes; e-liquids; water pipes / hookahs; chewing tobacco; nicotine pouches; other. Poll: If you currently use menthol tobacco products, what type(s) of menthol tobacco products do you currently use? Select all that apply. Cigarettes; cigars/cigarillos; e-cigarettes or vapes; e-liquids; water pipes / hookahs; chewing tobacco; nicotine pouches; other.	Number of people who currently use tobacco product by type Number of people who currently use menthol tobacco product by type
4	5 min.	Thank you for your responses to the poll. [Summarize results from the poll briefly]. Now, we’re going to focus our discussion on your current and past experience using menthol tobacco products. Can you tell us a bit more about how frequently you use menthol tobacco products? If you no longer use these products, can you tell us about how frequently you previously used menthol tobacco products? [Probing question] When do/did you choose menthol tobacco products over non-menthol tobacco products?	Frequency of menthol tobacco product use
5	~1 min.	Now we’re going to ask you another polling question. Poll: Do you think that menthol tobacco products are more harmful, about the same, or less harmful than non-menthol tobacco products?	Perceived harms of menthol tobacco products compared to non-menthol tobacco products
6	5 min.	Thanks for your response to the poll. [Summarize results from the poll briefly] Can you provide more insight into your answer? Why do you think menthol tobacco products are more or less harmful? [Probing question] Where did you learn this information from?	Perceived harms of menthol tobacco products compared to non-menthol tobacco products
7	5 min.	For those of you that currently use menthol tobacco products, do you typically purchase them yourself? If yes, since the policy passed, where do you purchase them from? [Probing question]: Have you ever travelled to a different city/state to purchase them since the policy passed? Have you purchased these products online? [Probing question]: If you do not purchase them yourself, from whom or how do you get these products since the policy passed?	Method of accessing menthol tobacco products after policy passage
8	3 min.	For those of you that are not currently using menthol tobacco products, can you tell us a little bit about when and why you decided to quit using menthol- tobacco products? [Probing]: Did you decide to quit following the implementation of the policy in your city? If so, why?	Quit attempts following policy implementation Stories of sustained quits
9	5 min.	For those of you that are currently using menthol tobacco products, have you ever attempted to quit using these products? [Probing question]: If so, why did you decide to quit? How long were you able to quit for? [Probing question]: Why did you begin using menthol tobacco products again?	Quit attempts following policy implementation Stories of sustained quits
10	5 min.	How, if at all, would you say that your ability to purchase or access menthol tobacco products has changed since the policy in your city was implemented? Have you changed where you purchase/obtain these products? [Probing]: How easy or difficult is it for you to access menthol tobacco products in your city since the policy in your city was implemented?	Method of accessing menthol tobacco products after policy passage Self-reported purchasing behaviors related to menthol tobacco products
11	5 min.	Following the implementation of the policy in your city, did you use menthol tobacco products less frequently? Why or why not? [Probing question]: Did you try to quit using menthol tobacco products altogether following the implementation of the policy in your city?	Tobacco use changes due to policy implementation Quit attempts following policy implementation
12	5 min.	Did any of you switch from using a menthol tobacco product to using a non-menthol tobacco product following implementation of the policy in your city? What is the brand name of the new product you switched to? [Probing question]: Why did you switch to a non-menthol product?	Switching to a non-menthol product after the policy passed
13	3 min.	[Show pictures of new “non-menthol” cigarettes] Did any of you switch to one of these products following the implementation of the policy in your city? Why or why not?	Switching to a non-menthol product after the policy passed
	2 min.	We want to thank you all for your participation in today’s discussion. As we wrap up this session, we wanted to give everyone a moment to share anything additional they would like to add to today’s discussion.

Thank you again for your time. If you have any additional questions or thoughts about today’s discussion you can reach me at [email] which I have put into the chat. On the screen, you will see some resources available where you can learn more about menthol tobacco and general tobacco use. [display slide with resources]. I have also put links to these resources in the chat. This concludes our discussion. We greatly appreciate your openness and honesty throughout this process. To thank you for your participation, you will receive a $45 gift card by email. As I mentioned above, the stories you shared today will help inform CDC activities on menthol-flavored tobacco products, so thank you again for this engaging discussion!

1 Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 60 minutes per response, including time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to: CDC/ATSDR Reports Clearance Officer, 1600 Clifton Road, NE, MS D-74, Atlanta, GA 30333, ATTN:PRA (0920-xxxx).

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